Sennheiser Joins the Open Wireless Earbud Craze

Sennheiser is now in the clip-style open-ear audio mix. The Accentum Clip, launched today, is the company’s first foray into clip-on wireless earbuds and brings many of the same advantages as what’s already on the market.

The biggest highlight is obviously the design, which clips around your ear and places a speaker just outside your ear canal. Unlike wireless earbuds with silicone or foam tips, clip-style wireless earbuds don’t seal your ears, which makes them more comfortable for extended use and ideal for activities like running or biking, since you can still hear your surroundings.

The Accentum Clip come with 12mm dynamic drivers and dynamic EQ, which can adjust tuning to sound better at lower volumes. They’re fairly lightweight at 6.8g per earbud and feature IP54 water- and dust-resistance, meaning they should withstand raindrops and sweat. Like most clip-style wireless earbuds, they also have fairly solid battery life. Sennheiser says the Accentum Clip get nine hours on a single charge (and 36 hours with the charging case).

One thing the Accentum Clip don’t have (again, like most other clip-style wireless earbuds) is any kind of noise reduction. While noise reduction is uncommon in open-style wireless earbuds, some companies are now including it. Shokz, for example, has its OpenFit Pro, which aren’t clip-on wireless earbuds but wrap around the backs of your ears and come with a surprisingly effective form of the feature.

Probably the biggest downside of the Accentum Clip is that they’re not being released in the U.S. Sennheiser plans to launch these wireless earbuds in Canada and Central and South America, but there’s no word yet on a potential U.S. release date. The Accentum Clip will debut in Canada on July 23 for CAD $269.95, or roughly $190 USD.